


Some Things Never Change

by wittywhisper



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Ilvermorny, Magic, Modern Setting, Original Character(s), Scourers, they're just kids wish 'em luck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-06-20 17:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15539217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wittywhisper/pseuds/wittywhisper
Summary: Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A familiar name to some, and to others an intriguing mystery. And to anyone and everyone who knows it exists, it's soon to be something more than just their familiar North American wizarding school. Between the much-anticipated school year that's about to begin and the old feuds being brought back to life, the wizarding world must brace itself. A fire is being built, and all it needs is a spark.Drew is excited, Cody is curious, Camille is prepared, and Ben? He's just doing what he can to make sure things don't fall apart.Too bad some things in the wizarding world never change.





	1. It All Started With a Letter (i)

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to everyone reading this- just the fact that you clicked on it means a lot to me. here's to my first fanfic (one set in the harry potter universe that i hope isn't too late) and here's to you enjoying it. cheers!
> 
> Disclaimer: this is a work of fanfiction using settings and lore from the Harry Potter universe, which is trademarked by JK Rowling.

“Benjamin! Go check the mail!” His grandmother called from the kitchen of their small Minnesota home. With a sigh, Ben set his book down and pushed himself up from the lumpy couch, adjusting his glasses. He was supposed to check the mail every morning, but you couldn’t blame him for putting it off until he was told. Not when the book he had just been engrossed in was so intriguing, the plot just starting to pick up. Much more interesting than the ads and bills that sat in the mailbox.

Not like it was a long walk down the driveway. Ben slipped his sneakers on without undoing the laces, something his Grandma hated, and jiggled the doorknob until he got it open. The birds outside chirped as if in greeting, and the cloudless sky was dominated by a sun which shone invitingly. Maybe he would get to spend time in the woods if Grandma came home from work early to take care of Grandpa. Otherwise he wouldn’t be allowed to leave, since the doctor said Grandpa shouldn’t be left alone. 

What did the doctor know, Ben thought as he opened the mailbox and pulled a few papers out. Sure, Grandpa couldn’t remember things most of the time, but the doctor charged way too much just to tell Ben he should keep his Grandpa company and give him pills that didn’t work. Grandma tried to hide it from him, but he knew they were short on money. She wasn’t even sure if they could afford more medicine.

Ben shook the sad thoughts out of his head and looked through the mail. A coupon for pizza, a letter to his grandparents, and… a letter to him. A fancy one too, with blue, hard-to-read cursive on the front of a thick, creamy white envelope.

“Grandma!” He yelled, kicking his shoes off and sliding on the wooden floor in his socks. He almost collided with her as she came out of the kitchen, grey hair done up in a bun, probably about to get ready for work.

“I’ve never seen you so excited for the mail, Benny,” his Grandma commented as he shoved the rest of the mail into her hands and held up the letter. 

“Look! This is so cool! Do you think they let Mom send letters now?” He asked as she set down the other mail and plucked the letter from his hands. She narrowed her blue eyes, which matched his own.

“They don’t let anyone send letters from there, dear. It’s probably from your school.”

“Really?” Ben said, confused. His school sent emails, not letters, and they certainly weren’t going to send them on such expensive looking paper.

“Yes. I have to get to work now, go sit with Grandpa in case he needs anything,” she ordered, tucking the letter into a pile of newspapers and patting his dark brown mop of hair as he scrunched up his nose. He followed her to the door as she adjusted her supermarket name tag and picked up her purse.

“Aren’t you going to open it?”

“No, dear, leave it be. I’ll see to it when I get home. Lock the door behind me, okay?”

Ben did as asked, even though curiosity itched at him. He wandered back into the living room, eyeing his Grandpa who was staring pensively out the window while sitting in his favourite green armchair. His head turned when Ben sank down onto the couch. He smiled at Ben, his face wrinkled with old age. 

“Hello, Benny. Did you just get up?”

“No, Grandpa, I was sitting here earlier.”

“Oh. Did Lisa leave for work?” 

“Yes, she left just now.”

“Oh. Where’s my dear little Katelyn? Is she at work too?”

“Mom isn’t home. I’m gonna go eat,” Ben said, cutting off the conversation. It was the same one that happened at least one morning each week, usually on weekends, but now on weekdays too since school was out for the summer. He wondered if Grandpa asked the nurse the same questions too, a nice lady from the retirement home. Grandpa didn’t want to live in the retirement home, so the lady had to come take care of him here when Ben was still in school. He wondered when they wouldn’t be able to afford to pay her anymore.

What a dreary morning. Ben sat down at the kitchen table, where Grandma had left him a plate of scrambled eggs, and let his mind wander back to the letter instead. Would Grandma be mad if he opened it? If it really was from his school, then she would end up telling him what it said anyways. 

After another minute of thinking and shoving forkfuls of scrambled egg into his mouth, Ben made up his mind and put his plate in the sink. He padded over to the newspapers and picked up one after another until he came across the letter with its crisp, deep blue script inked on the front.

Slowly, carefully, he turned it over to reveal a wax seal with weird animals pictured on it. He couldn’t read the letters around the crest even if he squinted, so he simply pulled the envelope open and unfolded the thick piece of parchment paper inside. 

_ILVERMORNY SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

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_Headmaster: Agilbert Fontaine_

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_Dear Mr. Brooks,_

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_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment, all of which is available for purchase at your nearest wizarding store. If you don’t have access to one, all books and equipment are also available in Greylock Village, Massachusetts, found near Adams, Massachusetts._

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_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

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_Yours sincerely,_

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_Diane Calderon-Boot  
Deputy Headmistress_

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Ben flipped to the second page, which contained a list of books and equipment as promised. “Cloaks? Spell books?” He said out loud, frowning in confusion. Ben walked back to where his Grandpa sat and stood in front of him as him while rereading the letter.

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“Good morning, Ben. Did you need something?”

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“Do you know what this is, Grandpa?” Ben asked, showing him the letter.

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“Ilvermorny? Ah…” His eyes became a little unfocused as he appeared to recall a memory. “Katelyn talked a lot about that school. She said she wanted to go. Said it wasn’t fair, said that she deserved to learn too…”

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“Learn what?”

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“I don’t know,” Ben’s Grandpa said, “I don’t remember.”

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“Right,” Ben said, disappointed. If his mom talked about it though, that meant Grandma would probably know. He’d ask her when she got home from work, whenever that was. In the meantime he sat down with his book again, wishing he could go to the woods but settling for the couch instead. 

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Occasionally his mind would go back to the letter as he read. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. He wasn’t exactly sure what the letter was talking about when it mentioned witchcraft and wizardry, but getting invited to a new school would be awesome. He didn’t really have that many friends at his middle school, so he wouldn’t be sad to leave. Wasn’t Massachusetts pretty far, though? Who would take care of Grandpa? He’d have to keep waiting for answers.

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Long after his lunch of a cold sandwich, Ben was almost finished his book when Grandma finally opened the door, grocery bags in hand. He jumped up, dropping the book, which startled Grandpa who turned to smile when he realized who was at the door. Grandma smiled back at him while Ben grabbed the letter from the coffee table.

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“Grandma, I opened the letter!” He exclaimed. “I know you said not to, but I was just so curious, and-”

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“Let me see.” Ben turned the letter so she could see, and watched her expression turn sour as she read.

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“Benjamin, listen to me.” Grandma took the letter and put back down, turning on him with a stern gaze. He stared back with wide eyes, not sure where the conversation was headed.

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“I don’t want you to give this letter a second thought, okay? When you’re old enough, I’ll explain everything, but for now…”

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“Why aren’t I old enough? What do you have to explain?”

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“I’ll have to explain why you can’t go to that school. But one day, not now.”

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Ben stayed quiet, but as a curious kid he was already forming a plan. “Okay. Can I call Dad before dinner?”

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“Sure you can, dear. I’ll get started on some pasta.”

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Before she was even done talking, Ben was grabbing the phone and shooting up the stairs. He closed the door to his room before dialling his dad’s number, which he knew by heart. On the third ring he picked up.

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“Hey, kiddo. Good thing you caught me on my break. How was your Saturday?” His dad said, voice gravelly over the phone.

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“It was great. Listen, Dad, have you ever heard of Ilvermorny?”

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For a moment, his dad was quiet. Then, voice loud, he exclaimed, “You got your letter?!”

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“Huh?”

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“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this. Y’know what this means, kiddo? It means you’re a wizard! We’ll have to find a way to get you there, and we’ll have to buy all the clothes and books, but still this is the most exciting news I’ve heard all week!” His voice was much quieter now, as if he didn’t want anyone to hear.

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“Woah, Dad. Could you maybe explain this stuff first?”

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“Sorry, sorry. Ilvermorny… it’s North America’s big wizarding school. It’s where I went as a kid, same age as you. Your mom, she was always… nevermind. But this is a big opportunity, Ben. It means you won’t have to stay with your mom’s parents anymore.”

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“I can’t leave Grandpa alone, though,” Ben said the first thing that came to mind. “And by wizarding school, do you mean learning how to curse people?”

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“Not just curse, you’ll learn to do all kinds of things! Look, I gotta get back to work, but I’ll see you in the fourth weekend of August, right? We might get there a little early, but there’s no other time I’ll be able to take you, so…”

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“Dad, I still don’t understand-”

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“Bye, Benny! Love you!” The call ended with a loud beep. Ben threw the phone down onto his bed in frustration, even more confused than before. Staring at the blue walls of his room that seemed to close in on him, the only thing he could think to do was escape to the woods.

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“Grandma, I’ll be back in twenty minutes!” He promised with a shout as he followed through with his idea. He grabbed a jacket to throw over his t-shirt just in case it rained before dashing outside in his sneakers. If he only had twenty minutes before dinner, he’d make the best of it.

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Ben wasn’t exactly a track star, but the woods were close and he was there fast enough. Finally, he could relax and clear his head in the vibrant green of the thriving forest. Before even thinking about his conversation with Dad, he knelt down to check on the fuzzy caterpillar he’d found the day before. It was still near the same place he’d set it down, wriggling around and doing whatever caterpillars usually do. Standing back up, he stared at the trees around him and wondered if the caterpillar had any friends it might be trying to find.

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“Found you!” The shout surprised Ben, but it wasn’t directed at him. Just some kids playing manhunt or something nearby. He veered away from them and climbed up into his usual tree before running the talk with Dad back in his mind.

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Was Dad talking about taking him away from Grandma and Grandpa to go learn magic? For someone who’d read books about magic for years, it was like a dream come true. And Dad said he went there as a kid. Did that mean Dad knew how to cast spells? What about curses?

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He wondered if Mom knew, what she thought, if she would be proud of him. He wondered why Dad had never told him about this before. He wondered- 

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It wouldn’t do him much good to keep thinking about it when he wasn’t going to get answers to his questions. Maybe the best thing would be to listen to Grandma and not think about the letter anymore. He could think about the next book he was going to read, about the next bug he would find, and pretend he’d never heard anything about Dad’s plans for a certain weekend in August.

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Yes, that’s what he would do. He wouldn’t think about it, and then maybe it would all blow over. Or maybe it was all part of his big imagination, he wasn’t sure.

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Still, he couldn’t help but think that he liked the name. Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry certainly had a ring to it.

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	2. It All Started With a Letter (ii)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> introducing main character number 2, Camille Dupont.

“If Camille is a Squib I think I might cry.”

“From sadness and heart wrenching emotion?”

“From happiness, of course,” Aime replied. Camille rolled her eyes at her sisters’ banter, sipping on her milk (she wasn’t old enough for coffee yet) and scrolling through pictures on her phone. Her breakfast of toast and bacon sat untouched on the table in front of her, despite how appealing it looked. Instead she was distracting herself with her phone, legs folded underneath her on the plush dining chair, waiting for the mail to arrive.

Léa smiled and shook her head, taking another bite of her own bagel and eyeing her younger sister. “You look so nervous, Camille. Don’t worry, it’ll come soon enough.”

Camille nodded, but in reality Léa’s words weren’t much comfort. They weren’t a completely pure blood family, but not getting into Ilvermorny would still be a disappointment to both her and her parents.

“Well I, for one, think Camille isn’t getting in. She hasn’t really shown any signs of magic.” Aime said, getting up to put her dishes in the sink. She learned against the granite counter with a smirk, thinking she was clever. 

“Now you’re just flat out lying. Remember earlier this year, the time she accidently shattered a window when you stole her phone and texted her friends? Ah, preteen drama.”

Aime laughed while Camille groaned, slumping in her chair and setting her mug down. “I didn’t mean to-” Camille stopped when she heard the doorbell ring. She bounced up, running for the door before Aime could, and grabbed the letters that had been slid in through the mail slot. 

“Don’t break another window,” Léa called jokingly. Camille ignored her, sorting through the mail until she found what she was looking for. The same blue cursive lettering on a thick white envelope that had arrived years ago for both her sisters.

“It’s here!” She yelled, jumping up and down and dropping the rest of the mail. She ran back down the hallway, over cold marble floors and past her parents’ wizarding artifacts, grinning the whole way.

“I never doubted it for a moment,” Léa said, standing up to give Camille a hug. Aime made a big show of pushing Camille away instead of giving her one too. 

“Rude,” Camille said to her, opening the letter and reading the words with a twinkle in her eye. The words weren’t new, but she’d been waiting all summer for this so she wanted to savour it regardless. Even the start, ‘Dear Ms. Dupont’, was exciting.

“I’ll be upstairs,” Aime said while Camille sat down, her nerves finally calmed enough for her to dig into her breakfast. She was careful to keep the letter away from her food, not wanting to ruin it.

“Mum and Dad will be happy,” Léa commented, still watching Camille.

“They’re not gonna show it,” Camille replied. Her parents could take disappointment to a new level, but when it came to approval they were pretty emotionless. They were on a work trip at the moment anyways, so Camille would have to wait for them to phone her. She couldn’t phone them, of course, because they would be too busy to pick up.

“So pessimistic. They’ll be ecstatic, whether they show it or not.”

“Why, because they didn’t believe in me?”

“Because all 3 of their children are witches with bright futures.”

“I don’t know if Aime’s future is bright,” Camille joked. Léa smiled and patted her back as she got up to brush crumbs off her hands and into the garbage, whisking away Camille’s plate when she was done and Scourgifying it. Camille was glad that she could talk to Léa so easily, even if Aime was closer to her in age. In fact, Léa has already graduated and moved away, working for the Magical Congress of the United States of America, though she was with her sisters in Québec while their parents travelled.

“I should get some work done. Just because I’m with you two, doesn’t mean I can relax,” her older sister said as if she could read Camille’s mind. “I’ll be in Mum’s office if you need anything.”

Camille waved her off and stared at her letter again, wiping her hands and bringing the second paper to the top so she could continue reading. It was a list of school supplies, though not the same stuff she took to her all girls private school. Speaking of all girls, Camille thanked the heavens that she wasn’t being shipped off to Beauxbatons. Ilvermorny sounded much less strict, and she couldn’t wait to pull some pranks. And even if purebloods weren’t as important here as they were in Europe, she had no doubt her heritage would gain her some credibility. 

Another thing she would be happy about was the fact that she wouldn’t have to study French at Ilvermorny. Not that she wasn’t proud of her first language, of course. But trying to learn about every single aspect of French grammar when she didn’t even speak the language often with her parents was pointless. Especially since taking French past the required level was not on her agenda, and now that she was going to Ilvermorny she could stop a few years early.

A notification went off on her phone, distracting her. She moved the letter aside and read the message on the phone’s small screen. Surprisingly, it was from Aime, asking her to come upstairs immediately. Puzzled, Camille wondered why Aime didn’t just call her, but perhaps she was just being lazy and didn’t want to raise her voice. 

Camille complied even if it was a bit strange, hurrying up the stairs in fear of angering her sister. She crossed the upstairs lounge, which unlike downstairs was covered in plush beige carpet, planning to see if Aime was in her room. However, before she could knock on the door with its big “KEEP OUT” sign, Léa called her into the office.

Pushing the door open, Camille was surprised to see both her sisters in there wearing matching expressions of concern on their faces. It was weird enough seeing them in Mum’s office, which was usually kept closed, but the expressions on their dark-skinned faces were even more unusual. “What’s wrong?”

“Read this,” Aime ordered, gesturing towards the screen. Camille hurried around to the other side of the mahogany desk and leaned towards the thin, modern computer monitor.

“It’s a newspaper article that a friend sent me from the Ministry of Magic in Britain,” Léa explained as Camille began to read.

French-Canadian Wizarding Couple Detained In London, England

Their names are yet to be released to the public, but the two French-Canadians were taken into custody earlier today in a scene on a street in central London. Thankfully, despite protests from the couple and even some spells thrown about, the two were subdued and all witnesses obliviated. Rumor has it that the arrest was related to a fear of wizard-trafficking, a familiar term that often goes hand in hand with Scourers and their legacy. More on the story when an update is given.

“You don’t think it’s Mum and Dad, do you?” Camille asked, eyebrows raised.

“I don’t know,” confessed Léa, “but I thought you two should see it.”

“How could it be Mum and Dad? They love magic. They want nothing to do with Scourers,” Aime adamantly stated, but still she sounded concerned. “Besides, Scourers are a thing of the past.”

“Should we try calling them?” Camille asked.

“No, if it’s not them then they’d still be working. Wouldn’t want to bother them. Anyways, I should get back to work,” Léa said, dismissing her troubled sisters from the room. They parted ways into their own rooms, where Camille fell into the embrace of her fluffy purple comforter. The vague news article had drained the excitement from her, and now all she felt like doing was going back to sleep.

She forced herself up and back downstairs to her piano, though. Her parents had made her learn how to play at a young age, and now she was supposed to practice every day. She was pretty neutral on the matter, just glad she didn’t have to play sports like Aime, upon whom Mum had put all her Wampus expectations of warrior-like competitiveness. Flute would have been fun though, since even if she didn’t dislike playing piano she didn’t quite enjoy it either. It was a task to be done, just like most of what her day was going to be.

After all, following piano she had to go paint. A girl of many talents was what her parents called her. Piano came easily to her, and painting did too. And while painting was something she did quite like, she was much happier during the school year when her only task was pulling off pranks with Allison and Marie.

She reminisced about her last prank of the school year as she worked. A girl of many talents she was, and pranking was one of them. At the end of the school year she and Marie had dyed the school’s banners, with assistance from the janitor, so when they unfurled during the final assembly they came down bright pink with confetti to match. Allison helped clean the confetti up because she felt bad, but their principal had quite the time trying to clean it out of her hair.

Again, Camille felt a spark of excitement at the prospect of attending Ilvermorny in just a few weeks time. She’d get to whip out her Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes kit that her parents had gotten her from a previous trip to England, since she could use it freely at Ilvermorny. She still couldn’t believe they had been so thoughtful, and also just a bit silly to get it for her.

Though, she didn’t know how fun it would be to prank people without Allison and Marie there with her. Part of her wished that everyone could have magic, not just those born into the right family or chosen by fate. Maybe she only thought that because unlike Aime, who had had two girls from other wizarding families that she’d known for years before she got her letter, there were no families with children the same age as Camille for her to befriend.

Finally, she put down her brush and stared at the painting she’d created while she thought. Of course it was colourful, given that she had been thinking about Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, with no solid picture but still plenty of charm.

“Camille?” It was Léa, knocking on her door before she walked in. She paused to look around the lavender walls of a room she’d used to visit often, before she sat down on the bed and gestured for Camille to join her.

“Is everything okay? Was there an update on that article? Did they call?” Camille asked anxiously.

“Not yet,” Léa replied with a shake of her head. She smoothed Camille’s raven hair in a gesture of comfort. “I just wanted to make sure it hadn’t troubled you too much, but it seems like it has.”

“I’m okay,” Camille told her worried sister.

“If you’re sure, then I’m glad. It’s a big day for you, after all, with the letter. When do you want to go get your robes?” 

“Depends how far we have to go to get them. Mum might want to go to that tailor in Québec City where she got yours done, or she might order them.”

“Okay, I was thinking maybe we could go on a shopping spree right now to distract you, but Québec City is a little far. Are you going to hang out with your friends?”

“I don’t think I could enjoy it at the moment,” Camille confessed, “but I do want to spend as much time as possible with them before I leave. Actually, Léa… do you even talk to your friends from before Ilvermorny anymore?”

“I was a shy eleven year old. I didn’t really have close friends to stay in touch with,” Léa informed her. She had been in the Horned Serpent house like their Dad, a calm and quiet scholar. 

“Oh. I hope Alli and Marie consider me a close friend. I don’t want them to forget about me.”

“So worried at such a young age. All you should be thinking about is the spells you’re going to learn. I could go find Aime’s old books if you’re interested, the ones she used for her first year.”

“I can’t actually practice them yet,” Camille mourned.

“But you’ll still have a head start. Also, in case you weren’t already excited, I have a surprise for you,” Léa said with a smile, eliciting a curious hum from Camille.

“The Department for Protection of Magical Species wants me to help with keeping the magical species of Massachusetts safe, which means I’ll be able to stop by Ilvermorny often.” Camille’s eye widened with the announcement.

“So don’t let the article bring you down, okay?” Camille hugged Léa in thanks, grateful for at least one caring sister. 

“And I’ll tell you as soon as Mum and Dad call. Even if that article was referring to them, you know Mum can talk her way out of anything,” Léa continued.

“And Dad can keep her calm,” Camille added. Léa grinned again and left the room, leaving Camille to fall backwards onto the bed. 

With a sigh of happiness, Camille grinned too. Even though she’d spent years expecting it, she could hardly believe it was now happening. 

She was leaving her French-Canadian roots behind, leaving Canada behind, and going to attend Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	3. It All Started With a Letter (iii)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> main character number 3 (andpossiblymypersonalfavourite), Cody Myers.

“Time to get up, Cody! The day waits for no one!” 

Cody groaned, pulling the navy covers over his eyes. His mom yanked them off anyways, letting the bright sun pierce his retinas. He flailed in protest as she yanked him up, shoving him towards the hallway bathroom. 

“Come on, Cody! I need you to take care of Maya while I go buy her birthday presents.”

“Her birthday’s in almost a month,” he pointed out as he reluctantly twisted the toothpaste cap open.

“Exactly why it’s about time we went and got her presents. Take care,” she said, kissing the top of his head while he brushed his teeth.

Cody wrinkled his nose at her affection and finished his morning routine, including feeding his fish, before heading into the living room in his shark pyjamas. He’d had those pyjamas forever, but he refused to let his mom throw them out. 

“Cody!” His six-year-old sister Maya yelled as soon as he was through the doorway, excitable as always. She climbed over the back of the couch from where she had been watching Saturday morning cartoons, a grin on her chubby face.

“Maya!” He yelled back as she ran into his arms. He loved his little sister more than anyone in the world, especially when she made his mornings so much interesting. She hugged him before wriggling away, back to the TV. He let her go, heading to the kitchen instead and filling his bowl with cereal and milk. Cereal first, of course.

He lay down with Maya on the couch, taking up as much space as possible just so she would giggle and try to shove his legs off. He relented just so he wouldn’t spill his cereal, scarfing it down and half listening to whatever she was watching. The other half of his mind was busy looking around their cluttered living room and assessing how much he would have to pick up to make it look like he had done some cleaning.

“What’s Mama gettin’ at the store, Cody?” Maya asked, breaking his concentration on the best route to laziness. 

“What did she say she was getting?” He countered, putting his cereal bowl down on the side table and starting to shove toys into a bin.

“Mama didn’t say- No!” She lunged forward before he could start stacking his own books. They weren’t fiction as one might expect, but rather books filled with facts on everything from the deep sea to the farthest planets. He let her take the one in his hand and prayed she wouldn’t knock down the pile that had already been made the day before.

“Ya said you’d read this one to me!” Maya exclaimed, and scrambled for the remote to turn off the TV. Cody figured the room was clean enough, and he’d been planning to do a little reading after anyways, so he let her settle onto the couch again with the book in her lap. He sat next to her and let her curl up against him like a kitten before he began to read, pointing out pictures of different planets and moons.

They spent most of the morning like that until an unexpected knock on the door. “Is Mama home?” Maya asked, pushing the book away from her and sliding off the couch.

“Wait, Maya!” Cody said, grabbing her before she could run past him to the door. “Mama has the keys, remember?”

“Oh, right,” she deflated, scrambling back onto the couch. “Keep readin’ then?”

“I should see who it is,” Cody pointed out, walking towards the door and going on his tippy toes to peer out the peephole. Outside the apartment stood a red-haired woman he didn’t recognize, holding a small black purse. Her piercing brown eyes stared right at him.

Cody immediately stumbled backwards as if she could see him. He didn’t recognize her as a friend of his mom, and she wasn’t home. And this was Boston, so even if the lady was nicely dressed he didn’t know what she might have wanted. The only thing he could do was panic.

Oh, and hide. “Let’s go to my room, Maya,” he said, pulling her off the couch and grabbing the book. Suddenly, there was another round of loud and sharp knocks on the door, and Cody’s panic increased tenfold.

“My room, now!” He said sternly, ignoring her protests and rushing down the hall with Maya in front. He pulled her into his room and shut the door, wishing he had a lock. Oh god, speaking of locks, was the front door locked? What if Mom had forgotten to lock it when she left?

Should he grab a weapon just in case? Cody looked around the room, but he’d never really done sports so there wasn’t any convenient baseball bat lying around. There was his gaming console, but that had been expensive, and then there was his old plushies which wouldn’t do much good. The only other option was books, so he grabbed the heaviest one he could find just for comfort. 

“Cody,” Maya whined while grabbing an octopus plushie and waving it in the air, “why didn’t you open the door?”

“We’re not supposed to open the door for strangers,” he explained. After a minute or two he cracked open his own door out of curiosity… 

And heard the sound of the front door opening nearby. “She broke in,” Cody hissed, vocalizing his first thought.

Suddenly Maya pushed the door open and ran past him before he could stop her, octopus plush in hand. “Maya!” He yelled, lunging forward after a second of being frozen in surprise, but she was already gone.

He whipped around the corner to the the living room and entranceway, and almost collapsed in relief when he saw his mom with Maya in her arms. Next to her, though, stood the woman with the red hair.

“Hi, mom,” Cody said, making his way forward slowly and eyeing the woman suspiciously as he pressed close to his mom.

“Hiya, Cody. Did you not hear the doorbell?” Mom asked him.

“I did,” he admitted, “but I thought she was a stranger so I didn’t open it.”

“He ran to his room to hide,” Maya whispered as if it were an embarrassing secret. Which it was, for Cody at least, whose cheeks reddened. 

His mom laughed, though. “Smart kid. Cody, this is Ms. Susans, from your school.”

Cody tilted his head, trying to remember her, but his school was a big one with lots of teachers so it was definitely possible he’d never even seen her. Her smile seemed nice enough, so he figured he could stop being so cautious.

“Could we maybe take a seat for this?” Ms. Susans said, gesturing towards the living room. The family of three crowded together on the couch while she sat on the edge of the loveseat.

“Look, Cody,” she said slowly, immediately making Cody’s stomach churn when he realized what kind of news a teacher could be here to give. What had he done wrong? Was he being kicked out for that time he fell asleep in class?

“I’m here to inform you, on behalf of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that you are a wizard.”

Cody’s only reaction was a confused blink as she proceeded to hand him an envelope. His mom seemed at a loss for words too as he ripped the envelope open and pulled out a letter. 

“Dear Mr. Myers…” He read the letter and then looked at Ms. Susans and scrunched his nose. “Wizard school?”

“Yes,” she said with an amused smile. “You’ve been invited to attend Ilvermorny this coming fall.”

Cody’s mom took the letter while Maya looked back and forth between Cody and Ms. Susans like she was watching a tennis match. Finally, Cody got up and started to pace.

“So out of nowhere you’re telling me that magic is real? I can do magic, or something? Can you do magic?” 

Ms. Susans nodded and pulled out a thin piece of wood. A wand, Cody thought as she waved it in the air and whispered something under her breath. He didn’t realize what she was doing until he turned his head and saw that Maya’s octopus had floated out of her hands, doing flips and loops in the air.

Maya giggled in delight, grabbing at it while Cody and his mom watched in awe as it spun around the room. Finally the octopus settled back down and Ms. Susans tucked her wand back into her purse, which didn’t even look big enough to hold it.

“I can do other things, but I’m not really the Charms professor. So, Cody and Mrs. Myers, how about it? How does wizarding school sound?”

“Will Cody make things float if he’s in wiz school?” Maya asked seriously while their mom stared off into space, deep in thought.

“Yes, and he’ll get to have a pet at wizard school too,” Ms. Susans replied. She glanced at Cody, who was still pacing.

Wizard school, Cody thought. It would sound impossible if he hadn’t just seen magic in front of his own eyes. But did he want to go? It wouldn’t be too far, just the other side of Massachusetts.

“Would it be for the whole year?” Mom asked, beating him to it.

“He could come home during winter break if he chooses, then of course during summer break. Easter as well,” Ms. Susans said, “It would be for a total of seven years of wizarding education.”

She continued her explanation about other aspects of the school and safety while Cody processed that. Seven years was a long time to learn magic. And he’d have to give up science for it, give up all the things he’d spent over six years in school learning. Did he really want that?

“Cody,” His mom said softly, grabbing his arm to stop his pacing. “It’s entirely up to you. If you want to do it, then I’m all for it. I know it’s sudden, of course, but that octopus…” She looked like she was still trying to process things too.

He nodded slowly. “I think I might need some time to think about it.”

“That’s fine. If it’s okay with you, I’ll send you an owl in a few days so you can send your answer back with it,” Ms. Susans supplied. 

“An owl?” 

“The preferred method of wizards for sending letters. Anyways, if that’s all, I should probably get going. Again, I know this is perhaps fast, and surprising of course, but as far as I was aware your mother is very open-minded so I had no doubt this would be quick.”

His mom left Maya in the living room while she saw Ms. Susans out. Cody joined his little sister on the couch, still thinking.

“Are you gonna go to wiz school?”

“I don’t know. What do you think I should do?” He asked honestly.

Maya hummed, staring at the octopus as if she were consulting with it. Finally, she said, “I think Daddy would want you to.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. Mama tells me Daddy was really cool. He’d say to do it.”

“Smart kid,” Cody mumbled, mimicking his mom. His mind made up with Maya’s wise words, he jumped up from the couch and ran out the door before his mom could finish closing it. 

“Ms. Susans!” He called when he saw her to his left, walking away down the carpeted hall of their apartment building. She turned when she heard him, meeting the determined brown eyes of the eleven year old in shark pyjamas.

“I want to do it. Go to the wizarding school,” he told her. Her smile was blinding.

“I look forward to seeing you there, Cody.” With a wink, she turned away and continued walking. It only took one surprised blink for Cody to realize when she disappeared.

“Huh,” he said, dumbfounded. He went back into the apartment, where Mom was picking up his dirty cereal bowl. She held out her hand for a high five, which he returned, and promised that they’d get his school supplies soon along with any more information if they needed it. Nodding, he went back up to his room and sat on his bed, staring at his fish tank in thought and maybe a little bit of excitement, too.

“Do ya think I’ll go to wiz school too?” Maya asked, prancing into his room.

Cody faked a gasp. “You mean you can’t already do magic?”

“Nope,” she said, holding out the book they had been reading earlier to him and giving him puppy dog eyes. He grinned and took the book, patting the spot beside him. She jumped up and they returned to reading, though Cody was a bit distracted.

It was still sinking in, the fact that he was going to leave Maya and his mom for pretty much the whole year. The fact that his mom seemed to believe it all so easily. The fact that he was going to… what was it? Liver mornings? Oh, right, Ilvermorny School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	4. It All Started With a Letter (iv)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last but certainly not least, main character number 4, Drew Wilson.

“Drew, can I talk to you?” Drew’s mother asked from where she leaned on the railing of their back porch. Scooter, the family Labrador that Drew had been playing fetch with, turned when he heard her voice.

“Yeah, sure,” Drew said as Scooter bounded away from her anyways, ending the game. She followed him onto the porch and looked questioningly at the woman in front of her.

“Your aunt and uncle called. They said they saw you wearing a skirt the other day, when you went over to take their dog for a walk with Scooter.”

“And?”

“And they gave me another lecture on letting you entertain such immature thoughts,” Her mother said, putting air quotes around the last few words.

Drew sighed and slumped against the railing. “It’s been a few years. You’d think they stop.”

“Not everyone thinks it’s a good thing though, you expressing yourself. I support you, of course, I just thought I should let you know.”

“Thanks,” she said as her mother patted her shoulder and slipped back inside. Drew stepped off the porch to go lie in the grass instead of standing there, letting Scooter splay himself across her stomach.

It wasn’t her fault she’d always taken more of a liking to dresses as a kid, liked being the princess more than the prince. It was pretty progressive, a modern kind of idea, but didn’t mean her aunt and uncle had to look at her like Drew was gum on the bottom of their shoes.

“Right, Scooter?” She said as if her dog could read her mind. He barked, and at first she thought it was a reply until she realized he was looking intently at something beyond her line of sight. She sat up and turned to see a tawny owl perched on the fence.

“No way,” Drew said softly, pushing herself to her feet. The owl tilted its head and stared at her with unblinking brown eyes as she moved forward and eyed the envelope in its sharp talons. She hesitated, afraid it might lash out, but it let her take the letter with ease.

She stared at the blue cursive with a grin growing on her face. Her dad hadn’t told her it would be today that she got her letter. She looked up and waved at the owl as it flew off, then hurried inside with Scooter on her heels.

Searching the house, Drew finally found her mother in the spare room upstairs, which she had turned into mostly her sewing room. She looked up when Drew came in, and spotted the envelope in her hands.

Smiling, she set her needle and thread down and came over to hug her daughter. Drew pulled away after a moment and handed her the envelope.

“I wanted you to open it with me,” she explained to her mother as they sat down. They did as much, Drew continuing to grin as soon as she saw the words Dear Ms. Wilson.

“I’m glad you took after your father,” her mother said, “I know you would have been heartbroken if you hadn’t.”

“Thanks,” Drew replied, feeling a bit bad for her mother when two of the people she loved could do magic and she couldn’t. Brushing that feeling aside, she shoved the letter into her mother’s hands. “I’m gonna go for a run around the park, since he isn’t gonna be home for a few hours to hear the news.”

“Don’t be out for too long, okay? You know I get worried,” she said, probably thinking of the other kids Drew’s age. Drew had tried to hide the fact that she’d been getting bullied by some of the people at her new middle school earlier in the year, but her mother was like an eagle when it came to watching over her daughter.

Drew nodded and bounded down the stairs, pulling her sneakers on. Scooter would have followed her if he wasn’t so tuckered out from playing catch earlier. Instead, he just flopped onto his dog bed and gave her a parting bark as she left.

The track season was long over, but the nearby park was mostly circular so the path felt pretty familiar. She took long strides over the cracked pavement, past the swings and over a small hill, past the tennis courts and the weeping willow.

Her mother was right, Drew thought as she ran. She really would have been heartbroken if she hadn’t gotten accepted at Ilvermorny, the school of her dreams. Her father had told her so many stories of his time there, of the stone walls and moving pictures and the amazing view. He said that when you stood at the top of the astronomy tower, it felt like you could see the whole world spreading out beneath you. He said he wanted to take her to Hogwarts one day too, the British wizarding school. It was apparently just as magical, if not more so considering its history.

She didn’t have the patience to read all of her father’s history books, of course, but the stories were still fascinating. Panting, Drew took a break to catch her breath, still picturing Ilvermorny in her head.

“Aren’t you Drew Wilson?” Someone asked. It was a girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, with her blonde hair braided neatly down the side. Drew thought she recognized her from somewhere.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m Darla. I’ve heard kids talking about you at school before, and I just wanted to tell you that you’re really cool. You’re younger than me, but you’ve already got all this life stuff figured out. I wanted to tell you before, but I’ve always been so envious of you, so…” Darla waved her hands helplessly.

“Oh. Thanks?” Drew responded, not having the heart to tell Darla that other than the fact that she was a girl, she didn’t have much figured out at all.

“I also wanted to tell you that maybe you should go, because both my brothers are here with me and-” she looked towards the playground, where two pale boys that stood atop the monkey bars, as if they wanted to look superior, had noticed them. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”

Drew immediately took off running, thinking back to the incident earlier this year. She flew past Darla and towards her house, thinking she would easily be in the clear until her foot got caught in a particularly large crack in the pavement. 

She hissed in pain as she scraped her knee and banged her arm in the not-so-graceful landing. She heard laughter behind her, and then two large boys were looming over her scrawny figure.

“So this is the stick that stole Darla’s place on the track team?” One said, and then Drew realized exactly where she recognized Darla from. She had been at both the fall and spring track tryouts, talking to just about everyone except Drew. She had figured it was because she didn’t like her, but maybe that wasn’t the case.

“I never meant to steal anyone’s spot,” Drew said, not sure what they were talking about. How was she the reason Darla hadn’t been on the track team? 

“Darla was nearly fast enough,” the other boy supplied, “but then guess who was right in front of her?”

“So now you can pay the price, especially since you shouldn’t even be on the girls track team.” 

Oh, so that was what this was about, Drew thought. Fear was starting to really kick in now that she knew they intended to hurt her. Behind them Drew saw Darla, who stood there with her hands at her sides. These were her brothers, couldn’t she stop them?

Drew scrambled backwards as the boys stepped forwards, making them laugh again. She knew she should come up with a plan, but her mind was blank. One of them aimed a kick at her side and she rolled away, off the path and into the grass, but they just kept advancing. They did slowly too, taunting her, maybe wondering if she would try to run.

And she did try to run, but she didn’t make it far before someone caught her. It was Darla herself, looking at Drew with a mix of sadness and helplessness.

“They’ll be mad if I don’t keep you here. Just let them kick you, once or twice. You’re making it worse,” she said, eliciting anger from Drew. Why wasn’t Darla just stopping them? What was wrong with these kids who were supposed to be older, smarter?

Suddenly, as Darla pushed Drew back towards her brothers, the anger reared its head like a dragon. A branch flew from the ground into Drew’s hand and she used it to swing at Darla, causing her to stumble backwards, giving Drew the chance to escape. She took it, sprinting away towards the safety of her home.

As soon as she was inside with the door locked, Drew began to process what had just happened. Had that been magic? It must have been.

“You look tired,” her mother said, coming down the stairs.

“I used magic!” Drew burst out. 

“How? What did you do?”

Drew instantly deflated at the questions when she realized the place she’d just put herself into. She was going to have to explain what had happened in the park now.

Drew’s mother must have seen something in her eyes, because she stepped forward and kept her eyes trained on her daughter. “Drew, what did you do?”

Knowing she had no choice, Drew explained what had occured. As soon as she was done, her mother pursed her lips and ordered Drew to go upstairs. She did as she was told and, at a loss of what to do, she decided to take a nap.

When she awoke, it was to the sound of voices downstairs. Her father must have gotten home, which means her mother was telling him what had happened today between the letter and the magic. She rubbed her hazel eyes, prepared for his disappointment.

“If she goes to that school, we won’t be there to help her! Who knows what the kids there will be capable of, especially with magic in their hands?” 

“So what are you suggesting?”

“That we don’t let her go!”

Drew stopped, halfway down the stairs. Was her mother really going to stop her from attending Ilvermorny?

“Honey, I trust the Ilvermorny staff to keep her safe.”

“And what if she hurts someone else? She swung at that girl, she told me herself that’s how she got away!”

“It was in self-defence.”

“So you want to risk her getting into fights at that school?”

“Don’t you trust our daughter?” 

Drew waited anxiously for her mother’s reply. Finally, she heard a soft, “Of course I do.” She slumped against the wall in relief.

“Then we let her go, and make sure she sends letters as often as possible.”

“Can’t she send emails and phone us?”

“The wizarding world isn’t overly fond of technology. If you want to talk to her in person, she can use the fireplace as well.”

The talking ceased, replaced by the banging of pots and the opening of cupboards as they supposedly began to make dinner. Indeed, when Drew entered the kitchen, she just barely avoided the salt shaker flying across the room and into her father’s hand.

“Sorry, Drew! Gotta be careful with that one. Congrats on your letter by the way, I’m so proud of you.”

She smiled at him and went to the kitchen table, where her letter had been placed. She sat down, giving it a thoughtful glance, then opened the laptop up to check some of her favourite blogs. It was hard to believe she wouldn’t be able to do something so normal, wouldn’t even have a computer, come September. 

On the bright side, though, Drew was going to the same place she’d been hearing about for years. She was headed to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so obviously these first four chapters were prewritten so I could start this off with a bang. a small bang, considering things aren't all too exciting yet, but bear with me. next chapter should be up on Monday, but consider that a tentative schedule.


	5. The Great Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> turns out Ben's problems aren't one big dream after all.

Ben almost dropped the ladybug he was holding when he heard the doorbell ring. He’d been anticipating it for the last few days, but it still surprised him. He wasn’t even sure if it was his dad, but if it was then it was best if he got to the door before Grandma. The more they talked, the more guilty he was going to feel.

That was because Ben was still torn up about Ilvermorny, even if he’d promised himself that he would stop thinking about it. He couldn’t think about leaving Grandma and Grandpa. 

“Hello dearie.” Too late. Even though he’d started moving while he thought, he had been by the back door ready to take the ladybug outside. He went back to drop the ladybug off anyways, letting it take off into the warm summer air before shutting the door and making his way towards the voices of his grandma and his dad.

“Yeah, I tried to get here as fast as possible after the trouble on the reserve,” Dad was saying when Ben came up behind Grandma. He stopped talking when he saw his son and stepped forwards, holding up his arms for a hug. Ben gave him one, albeit hesitantly, not one for physical contact. 

“What happened at the reserve?” Ben asked. “You didn’t call.” 

“I’m sorry, kiddo. It’s complicated stuff, has to do with funding. I’m here now, though,” his dad replied with a smile. Ben returned it halfheartedly while Grandma patted his shoulder. 

“Are you taking him up there for the rest of the week?” She inquired.

“I was thinking we could go on a little road trip, to Minneapolis maybe. What do ya say, Benny?”

“When will we be back?” He said instead of replying, part of him thinking that they wouldn’t be back at all.

“Well, if it’s Thursday today… Saturday, maybe. I’m not sure.”

“Ben has school next Tuesday, so I want him back here no later than Sunday.” Even the word ‘school’ made Ben’s stomach churn.

“Of course. I’ll come help you pack your stuff,” his dad said to him, taking his shoes off by the door and nudging Ben towards the stairs. He waved to Grandpa, who was sitting in his usual armchair and looking confused as if he didn’t recognize Dad. Which he probably didn’t, Ben thought sadly as he entered his room.

“I’m mostly packed, because I thought you would be here earlier,” he told his dad, gesturing towards his open suitcase.

“Hmm, you might want to add a few more things. This isn’t just for a few days, remember?” Dad quietly responded. He picked up a dusty book from Ben’s shelf and turned it over. “How about this one? Do you want to take it?”

Ben shook his head. He hated that book. “Are you not going to tell Grandma the truth? What about taking care of Grandpa?” He demanded, changing the subject so he could ask his questions now that Dad couldn’t dodge them.

“Your grandparents will be fine. I’ll let them know once you’re at Ilvermorny.”

“But how his Grandma going to pay for the nurse if I’m not there for Grandpa on weekends?” 

“She’ll manage,” Dad said, ruffling Ben’s brown hair and taking to one knee so they were at the same height. “Look, I’ve told you the Ojibwe creation story, right?”

“The same one you tell to the kids on the reserve?” Ben clarified, not sure where his Dad was going with this. He was certainly using the same slow tone he used with the kids on the reserve, as if he was explaining an idea for the first time.

“That’s the one. And how did Kitchi-Manitou, the Great Mystery, create our universe?”

“He had a vision of all that was possible.”

“Yes, a vision of sun, earth, water and wind working together. Of creatures like us, of their feelings and needs. What I need you to do is see a vision of your own, of all your potential that’s being trapped within these walls.”

Fairly sure he understood what his dad was talking about, Ben closed his eyes and thought of the magic he’d read about in books. He thought about being able to do magic like that, about using it to do great things like the spirits in the Ojibwe stories that his dad told. He could even use it to help Grandma and Grandpa. And he could use it to make his mom proud of him.

That was all the incentive Ben needed. He opened his eyes to see his dad staring at him expectantly. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You get it?”

“I think so,” Ben said, starting to grab things off his shelf and floor that he’d been hesitant to take. If he was going to be gone until at least winter, like Dad at told him in a second call when he’d explained more, then he wanted to take as much as possible.

“Now, you don’t want to make the suitcase explode,” Dad joked as Ben tried to keep things from falling out. He sat on top of it while his dad zipped it up, then did his best to help carry it as they maneuvered down the stairs.

“That looks like a lot for a 3 day road trip,” Grandma said when they reached the door.

“You know how fast Benny reads.”

“Of course,” Grandma said as Ben gave both her and his Grandpa a hug. Despite usually avoiding hugs, he was feeling too horrible to even think of not doing it. Grandma seemed surprised, but she returned the hug regardless.

“Have fun, Benny. I hope Katelyn comes to keep me company while you’re gone,” Grandpa said absentmindedly, nearly bringing tears to Ben’s eyes with the way he mentioned Mom. He hid his face in his grandma’s sweater as he hugged her so she didn’t see how close he was to crying as he said a silent apology to both of his grandparents for keeping such a big secret.

“Time to hit the road, Ben,” Dad said, waving his goodbye as he loaded the suitcase into his small black car. “We’ll be back by Saturday, I’m sure.”

Hit the road they did. Trees blurred past Ben’s window as he sat in the passenger seat, hours passing in the form of rock music blaring from the radio. He didn’t want to read, and he wouldn’t have been able to anyways because it made him nauseous, so he stayed quiet and listened to his dad horrible singing. 

They stopped for lunch at some point, eating greasy burgers that tasted nothing like Grandma’s cooking. Dinner was pretty much the same thing, and then they pulled over to sleep in the car because Dad couldn’t stay awake.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. I know you’re bored. I would have gotten us here faster if it hadn’t been so long since I made the car fly. We’re almost there, though. Maybe we’ll make it before lunch and you can try some Butterbeer.”

“I’m not old enough for beer, Dad,” Ben said sleepily, not sure what Dad was talking about.

“Don’t worry, it’s not alcoholic. I think.”

They arrived in Adams, Massachusetts just past the usual lunch hour, even though Ben’s dad had started driving again at around four in the morning. His dad insisted that they would get lunch anyways as he found a parking spot and they got out of the car.

“Where’s Greylock Village, though? I thought that’s where the letter said to buy school supplies,” Ben commented.

“Oh, we’re nearby.” His dad said as much, but it confused Ben when they turned the corner and Dad stepped into a small restaurant. It was cozy inside, sure, but Ben had figured they would go eat in Greylock Village, not here.

His dad greeted the bearded man behind the counter before leaving through the backdoor, Ben still following faithfully, and entering… an identical restaurant, with a bearded man who looked pretty much the same. When he passed through the door, Ben felt a bit sick, but he wasn’t quite sure why.

“Glad to see that still works. I haven’t been here in awhile,” Dad told the man behind behind the counter, taking Ben by the shoulder and steering him towards the front door again. It was all making Ben’s head pound.

He was too shocked to worry about his headache, though, when they stepped out onto a street completely different from the one they’d just left. All kinds of people bustled up and down the cobblestone road, which was lined with a variety of shops. A bakery, a shop for robes, a shop whose sign read “Owl you could ever need in a pet! Buy yours today!” The pun was so unfunny that Ben wanted to laugh anyways.

It was quite overwhelming, the number of people and all the noise. Especially when books floated in the air behind people and fireworks went off at random above their heads, when some children flew by on brooms and others held balls of fluff with eyes that looked like no animal Ben had even seen before. Even though he had tried to imagine magic yesterday, he hadn’t been quite sure how colourful and vibrant it would be. 

“Welcome to Greylock Village, kiddo,” Dad said enthusiastically. “We better start shopping. School starts tomorrow, after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I might upload chapters in pairs because i don't usually hit a lot of words per chapter. working on improving, but 'til then you can hit that next chapter button once more.


	6. An Unfortunate Lack of Kittens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> any chapter that's not 100% kittens has an unfortunate lack of kittens. anyways, Camille's going shopping as another (not as great) mystery blossoms.

Camille’s lips were noticeably downturned as the plane touched down at a small airport in Massachusetts. She couldn’t believe that her parents were taking her to get her school things in Greylock Village instead of the same place where Léa and Aime had gotten theirs. Speaking of which, Aime seemed just as dissatisfied. 

“I don’t see why we’re buying my books in Greylock Village,” she told Mum in what had to be the most stuck up voice Camille had ever heard.

“If you don’t stop complaining I’m going to have you homeschooled,” Mum snapped, undoing her belt as the plane rolled to a stop. “Now grab the suitcases and let’s go.”

The two girls did as told, though neither of them were happy about it. Honestly, it wasn’t the books that Camille minded, since hers would be hand-me-downs from Aime anyways. Léa had sold all her old books, which was why Aime needed new ones. But it was the cloak that Camille had had high expectations for. Aime’s cloak had been stunning, made from the finest fabric Mum could find. Now Camille’s would probably be cheap and wouldn’t fit properly.

“Just be thankful that you don’t need a cauldron or a telescope,” Mum said as they walked off the plane with luggage in hand. “The school provides those things.”

“Yes, but the cauldrons the school provides are all banged up, like someone set firecrackers off in them,” Aime protested.

“Oh mon dieu, Aime. Your voice sets off firecrackers in my head,” Mum replied, forcing Camille to stifle a laugh. Aime pouted and continued to talk regardless.

“Why couldn’t Dad come then? He cares about what I have to say.”

“Your Papa is busy with work,” Mum told her while they walked through the airport. Camille pulled her suitcase along and walked on ahead, leading them towards the exit. They hailed a taxi and left for Adams, a forty minute drive that was dominated by Aime complaining about how busy both Dad and Léa always were. She couldn’t talk about exactly what they did with the No-Maj taxi driver right there, but she still managed to talk until Camille thought her head might burst.

“Finally!” She said once they had reached their destination. “Now Aime can stop talking!”

Aime threw a kick her way, but she dodged it and threw Aime’s purse to her. Mum sent them disapproving looks and paid the taxi driver before entering the restaurant that led to Greylock Village.

“You’re not going to be so rude when you have to leave your phone behind and you come begging me for internet access.”

“I thought you’re not allowed to have any electronics either.”

“I’m taking No-Maj Studies,” she said smugly, “so I have access to the computer lab.”

Camille shrugged, trying not to look too upset about not having her phone. She’d have magic instead, so it was a fair trade, and she’d already had the time to accept that she wouldn’t be able to keep in touch with Allison and Marie. Mum would be happy about it, Camille was sure, because she was so proud of not having any need for technology. In fact, it stumped Camille why Mum had wanted to fly to Massachusetts on a plane instead of using the Floo network or a Portkey. She half thought it was because of the incident in England, which neither Mum and Dad had wanted to talk about.

It had been them after all, in that news article. But all they’d said about the matter was that it was over and done with. The news hadn’t mentioned anything about it either according to Léa, so the other half of Camille assumed it had just been a big mistake.

They walked back out into the crowded street of Greylock Village together, Aime immediately informing Mum that she would be in the book shop. Mum nodded and whisked Camille off to get her robes for the year in a large shop across the street.

The shop didn’t seem too bad, Camille thought as a bell rang when they walked in. The dark wood of the floor and counter seemed clean, and different samples of fabric hung from the walls. The fabric itself wasn’t of the highest quality, but Camille figured it wasn’t bad.

A blond boy stood by a mirror in the corner, having his measurements taken by a seamstress. Camille was listening to him ramble on about shark facts while she waited, when suddenly Mum stepped forward.

“Excuse me, my daughter and I are in a rush. We were wondering if you could take her measurements quick or if we should come back later.”

“We’re in a rush?” Camille asked as the seamstress assured Mum that she wouldn’t have to wait long.

“I don’t want to spend so long here,” Mum said briskly, “Especially when we still have to get you a room for tonight. In fact, I should go do that now.”

“Wait, I’m spending the night here? School starts tomorrow afternoon though!”

“What else were you expecting?”

“I thought we were going to take the Floo network home and come back in time for the trip up.”

“Nonsense. I’m not taking you home just for one night after we flew all the way here. I’m going to go find you and Aime a room.”

“But why did we even fly?” Camille asked, to no avail. Mum was already out the door.

Camille sighed and watched the boy leave before getting her own measurements taken. She paid the seamstress a few Kralings from her own pocket, since Mum was still nowhere to be seen, before leaving with the promise that she’d pick the school robes up tomorrow once they had been made. The shop must have had a lot of seamstresses for the way it so easily accepted orders that would need to be ready for only a day later, Camille thought as she left.

The next stop was one she was more excited about. It was a pet shop with a variety of creatures, somewhere Aime had never wanted to go but Camille had always looked at with longing. Owl was the more popular choice, Camille knew that, but if she got an owl she would only be able to see it in the Owlery. A toad didn’t seem very appealing either. The prospect of a cat was the one that excited her.

The sound of mewls, ribbits, and whatever else was in the shop bombarded Camille’s ears as she looked around at the cages and pens. It occurred to her that she hadn’t even thought about what kind of cat she might want. There was an adorable black one looking around with wide green eyes, and a tortoiseshell cat that looked to be barely past its kitten years. 

“The calico over there looks like she’s raring to go, if you’re interested in a cat,” the woman behind the counter commented. Camille smiled at her and turned to the cat she had mentioned, which was indeed staring at her with its paws pressed up against the glass of its enclosure. Two other cats were with it, but they appeared to be sleeping.

“I’ll take her,” Camille said, crouching down and reaching a hand in and letting the cat sniff and bat at her fingers.

“Ten Dragots, please-”

“Camille? What are you doing?” Mum swept in without warning, pulling Camille up. “The seamstress said she saw you walk into here.”

“Well, you know how I’ve been wanting a pet for school-”

“What has gotten into you today? All you’re talking is nonsense. Let’s go.”

Camille followed Mum rather reluctantly, wishing she would stop acting weird. First the plane, then the fact that she was leaving her daughters here for the night, and now this. Camille didn’t dare speak up, though. She could only hope that Mum would reconsider leaving Camille and Aime to spend the night in some dusty inn.

“Go buy anything else you need and then meet your sister at the Siren’s Song Inn. I need to go meet a friend, I’ll come by later to say goodbye.”

So much for that, Camille thought as she watched Mum go. On the bright side, now that she was alone, maybe she could find a Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes or a Zonko’s around here...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see you on... thursday? don't take my word for it, but do be sure to drop back in soon enough!


	7. Siren’s Song Inn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is late

Cody waved to Ms. Susans again, leaning out the window of the small room she’d helped him rent for the night. In fact, she’d helped him do just about everything that had to do with wizards so far. Exchanging the money his mom gave him for wizarding money, buying the right books and supplies, making sure he found the robe shop and got his robes for the year ordered. 

Of course, she couldn’t stay until tomorrow. She was a teacher after all. Or professor, whatever word she used. Too bad she wouldn’t tell Cody what she taught.

He slid of the stool he’d been sitting on by the window and went through all the things he had brought again, feeling anxious about the fact that school would start tomorrow. Wizarding school, or wiz school as Maya called it.

Cody missed his little sister already, and his mom too. And his Nintendo. And all the books he had left behind. He also missed his fish, his bed, his cereal bowl…

Realizing that he had unintentionally started listing things and counting them on his fingers, he shoved his hands into his pockets as if someone could see him. Back to the packing. He had his new books, quills, and 5 jars of royal cranberry ink (“Ilvermorny’s favourite”, according to the label) that he’d stocked up on because he was afraid he’d spill it. Maybe he should have gotten more parchment too. What if he spilled the ink on the parchment?

Cody pulled his hands out of his pockets and smoothed his cropped blonde hair. He needed to stop worrying and get dinner. The last thing he’d eaten was ice cream when he had first arrived with Ms. Susans, so his stomach was starting to voice its protests.

Making sure he locked his door (because the only thing worse than spilling his ink would be having it stolen), he headed downstairs. The cheery sounds of what looked like older students singing filled the inn, which was called the Siren’s Song and was quite cozy. He recognized a girl sitting in the corner from the robe shop earlier, but she was with a group of what looked like friends so he didn’t want to intrude. That didn’t leave many other options for seating, and he kind of wanted to grab some food quickly then go hide in his room and eat it.

“Hey, kid. You look lost. Wanna come sit?” An older boy asked. Cody didn’t know the best way to reply so he just shrugged and followed the boy to a table where he ordered his friends to move over and make some room. Cody was met with a barrage of names, but the only one he really caught was that of the older boy, Jackson.

“You must be a first year. Too lost to be pure-blood so… Halfblood or No-Maj?”

“Trevor! You don’t just ask a guy about his blood before you even ask his name!” Jackson reprimanded.

“S’okay. My name’s Cody, I’m a No-Maj,” Cody told him, using the word Ms. Susans had taught him. 

“See, Jackson? Some people know how to show respect.”

 

“Sure, Trevor, because respect is what you deserve. Riiiight. Anyways, nice to meet ya. We’re the Wampus Quidditch team.” Cody wasn’t sure what Quidditch was, but he didn’t get the chance to ask. 

“Does he even know what Wampus is?” Someone asked.

“Yeah, Ms. Susans told me about the houses. Do y’know what she teaches, by the way?” Cody questioned in return.

“Wow, Ms. Susans found a new favourite student already? Is it because I’m a Wampus?”

“She teaches Transfiguration,” Jackson answered, ignoring the other boys. And one girl, Cody noticed, who was busy chugging a mug of what looked like beer. Were they even old enough to be drinking?

“Try not to get sorted into Wampus if you want to stay her new favourite student!”

“Yeah, she’s the Horned Serpent Head of House. I didn’t expect her to be a Transfiguration professor at first, she looked more exciting.”

“Whaddaya mean?” One student yelled, obviously having had some of that beer. “She’s scary as all heck!”

“All of you need to swear off Butterbeer for the next lifetime or two. Especially you, Arthur, it’s barely alcoholic yet you’re such a lightweight. We haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”

“I was actually planning to grab some dinner,” Cody mentioned, jumping back into the conversation. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.

“You’re offering to buy us dinner? Sweet!” 

“What an angel,” the girl said, slightly sarcastic, as Trevor swung an arm around Cody’s shoulders. Cody looked helplessly at Jackson, who was the calmest one there.

Jackson grinned. “Give him a pass on this one, guys. You just met the kid.”

The whole table booed at Jackson’s words, but it was all good-naturedly. Someone else went up to order dinner while Cody was spared. In the meantime, the students threw more advice for the year his way.

“If Professor Sorrel asks you to stay and help after Herbology, you better have an excuse ready.”

“And if you don’t get to Defence Against the Dark Arts on time, be prepared for detention!”

“You would know all about that, Trevor.”

Cody was more than happy to laugh along with them. Part of him hoped he would be sorted into Wampus just so he could hang out with them more, but he didn’t do any sports so he wasn’t sure he adequately fit under the category of body. Maybe soul? He wouldn’t mind being a Thunderbird, because a house that favoured the soul sounded cool. He definitely didn’t want to be a Pukwudgie. Not because the heart was bad, of course, but the name sounded a bit silly to him. Horned Serpent sounded cooler, favouring the mind. 

Dinner finally arrived, platters of some kind of pasta with chicken that everyone happily dug into while still chatting. Cody was content to listen to the talk as the novelty of a first year at their table wore off and they returned to talking about Quidditch. From what Cody heard it sounded like some kind of sport that involved brooms and something called a Snitch. Was it field hockey with brooms? Afraid of sounding stupid, Cody decided not to ask.

“You look tired, Cody. You’re about to fall face first into the food,” Jackson finally commented.

“Maybe a little tired. I should go, but thanks for letting me sit here.”

“Hey, no worries! You’re cool. We’re going to be watching a Fitchburg Finches game in here tomorrow morning, if you want to join us.” He held out a fist.

Cody grinned and gave him a fist bump, promising to be there. He was almost skipping as he made his way back upstairs, elated at the fact that he might have made friends. The panic that came with school starting the following day only returned when he reached his room and saw all the stuff he still had to pack.

“Yikes,” he mumbled, getting most of the books off his bed before collapsing onto it. He was pretty tired after the drive here and then the shopping, but anticipation and excitement kept him up for a long time before sleep finally took hold.

He dreamt that night of flying on a broom as a giant dragon breathed fire at him until he woke up in a cold sweat and he couldn’t fall back asleep. It wasn’t the night he had hoped for less than 24 hours before truly becoming a wizard.


	8. 52 Bottles Of Milk on the Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> welcome to ilvermorny (finally)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 52 bottles of butterbeer just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Drew’s mother and father swept her into a hug, making her promise for the fifth time that she would write to them in a week at the most. Other families arriving last minute at the edge of Greylock Village were shouting their goodbyes around them, and Drew gave her parents one last grin before she turned away. 

A stocky professor with neatly trimmed hair was already starting to yell for the first years on one side as the older students boarded horseless carriages that had begun to arrive. Drew dashed towards the group of first years as fast as she could with her large trunk in hand. She wished they had a train like Hogwarts did, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

“Alright, boys and girls!” The professor yelled, trying to be heard over the yells of the families and other students. The first years themselves were fairly quiet, seeing as most of them didn’t know each other. Once he was sure he had the attention of all the eleven year olds before him, he continued. 

“My name is Thomas Stafford, the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Ilvermorny as well as your guide today as we make our way up Mount Greylock. As you may know, the method of travel to get up to the school varies from year to year.” Drew’s father had told her about that, she thought excitedly. Originally students had gotten to Ilvermorny by Portkey, but so many students had gotten Portkey sickness so they decided to have parents arrange their preferred method of transport for their children. Drew had gotten here via the Floo Network, which was just a bit sad because it meant Scooter couldn’t come to see her off.

“This year, after much consideration, the method of travel will be…” He pauses for suspense. “Hiking.”

There was a big outburst from the first-years, and Drew heard the older students laughing as they left. Personally, Drew didn’t mind, but she couldn’t say the same for everyone else.

“Was I not supposed to put on my robes? Surely we can’t hike in these!”

“Everyone’s wearing their robes! This isn’t fair! And what about our luggage?”

“My sister’s year got to ride hippogriffs, but we have to hike?”

“Now, now, everyone quiet down! The Headmaster thought that perhaps it would enrich your experience of arriving at the school if you truly thought you had earned your way there. Mount Greylock isn’t overly steep anyways, and you have the whole afternoon to get up there. This way you can get to meet some of your classmates, too,” Professor Stafford explained. “Now, don’t worry about your luggage, as the school Pukwudgies will be taking all that up for you separately.”

That at least earned a sigh of relief from the first years, who dropped their trunks and suitcases and bags. Without warning, just as Drew was double checking that her trunk was locked, Professor Stafford whistled loudly and yelled, “GO!”

Drew took off immediately, her competitive instinct kicking in even though she knew this wasn’t a race. They had the whole afternoon, after all. But not only was she competitive, she definitely wanted to be the first one in her year to see Ilvermorny in all its glory. 

She kept up a steady pace up the incline of the hiking trail that twisted through the trees, not the same smooth trail that the carriages were climbing but another one that was meant for them to climb. She glanced over her shoulder once or twice but she wasn’t high enough up yet for a good view. Finally she stopped to catch her breath, leaning against the rough bark of an oak tree. The first person to catch up with her was a slightly chubby boy who looked very focused as he avoided the large rocks that littered the trail.

“Hello,” he said, the sweat on his light brown skin making Drew realize how gross she had begun to feel. He slowed to a stop in front of her. “You’re pretty fast.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Drew replied. “You must be too, if you caught up to me.”

“No, everyone else is just going pretty slow because they’re still busy complaining.”

“And you’re not complaining?” Drew asked, starting to walk again with the boy beside her.

“I mean, it sucks, yes. But the way Professor Stafford explained it, he made it sound pretty exciting.”

“About as exciting as watching paint dry, for some people at least,” she said and then gestured to the path in front of them. “I’m going to keep running. I’ll see you up there!”

Only once she had left him behind did Drew realize two things. One, she hadn’t asked his name or even introduced herself, which was pretty rude. And two, she’d just left him behind which was maybe even worse. She couldn’t bring herself to care, though, not when she wanted to keep going.

Even though it was her destination, Drew wasn’t expecting it when the trees began to thin out and she got her first glimpse of Ilvermorny. Once she was high enough and the trees sparse enough, she was truly able to appreciate it.

It was a giant granite castle, not the sparkling kind that made up kitchen counters but more of a stone that fit with its environment and gave the castle an authentic look. That was fitting, given its humble beginning, but even more impressive was the height of its many towers and the buildings from which they sprouted like branches. The buildings themselves had a distinct Victorian style with their high, arched windows and sloping roofs.

Just the sight of the castle gave Drew a burst of energy. She was nearly there, she thought, glancing back and seeing no one behind her. She’d be the first of her year to reach the castle just like she had hoped. What she was going to do there, she wasn’t sure, but it was exciting nonetheless. Of course, she hadn’t beaten the first of the carriages, which were being unloaded of luggage as students streamed out onto the cobblestone where the two hiking trails met up. 

She saw the Quidditch pitch on a flatter piece of ground as she neared the giant iron wrought doors, flanked by large marble statues of the school’s founders. In the opposite direction of the Quidditch pitch, across a ridge, there was a No-Maj structure that seemed dwarfed by the castle. Of course, the castle itself was concealed by enchantments so that any No-Majs visiting their tiny tower wouldn’t take notice.

Drew collapsed onto the grass to the left of the path, exhaustion finally catching up to her. While she waited for the other first years she watched the older students follow the cobblestone path into the castle’s glass topped entrance hall. Tired as she was, she was half tempted to sneak in with them. She didn’t want to get into trouble on her first day, though.

“52 bottles of milk on the wall, 52 bottles of milk! Take one down, pass it around, 51 bottles of milk on the wall!” She heard kids singing as they began to catch up. Wow, they really were bored, Drew thought.

“Merlin’s beard! Would you please stop singing? We’re almost there now, just around this corner!” Professor Stafford bellowed. The singing trailed off as the kids came around the bend and saw the castle for the first time. Wide-eyed and talking amongst themselves, they came and joined Drew on the grass.

“Hold on, don’t sit down there! The Headmaster won’t appreciate it if your robes are dirty before classes have even begun,” called the professor, gesturing to the students’ blue and cranberry Ilvermorny robes.

“We’re already sweaty,” someone pointed out, others nodding in support as they finally tore their gazes away from the granite castle.

Professor Stafford sighed, apparently lacking a reply, before going over to talk to the woman who was directing the carriages. Drew was at risk of falling asleep by the time the last of the first years had reached the top of the mountain and the professor finally announced that they could go in.

“We have to get sorted in our disgusting sweaty robes, then?” She asked, matching the professor’s large strides as best as she could. He went surprisingly fast for someone wearing a suit that looked so uncomfortable.

“I don’t make the rules, so that seems to be the case. I take no responsibility for you being sweaty, though, not when you sprinted up.”

Drew, surprised he had noticed, fell back without a response. She couldn’t care too much about the sweaty robes, she supposed, not when she was about to be Sorted.


	9. The Sorting Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> way late update? check. uncreative title? check. unesscary chapter note? check.

Ben filed in through the imposing iron doors along with the rest of the first years, not feeling prepared in the slightest. His dad hadn’t really explained too much to him, too busy raving about the fun he had during his school years with his friends in the Thunderbird house. He’d mentioned the four houses, of course, but Ben wasn’t sure how any of this worked. Anxious as he was, Ben was able to admire the glass dome on the ceiling through which the late afternoon sun streamed in.

Bringing his eyes downwards, he noticed the four wooden carvings flanking a large wooden staircase across the entrance hall, which must represent the four houses. He was trying to get a better look at them as Professor Stafford ordered the young students to stand against the walls, below a wooden balcony that circled the room. It was attached the staircase, but curved around the statues, not above them. On the balcony stood the older students, whispering to each other as they leaned over the railing to get a better look. Ben was about to bring his attention back to the carvings when a short man with greying hair stepped onto the upper landing of the staircase and all the other students went quiet.

“Welcome students, new and old. I am Agilbert Fontaine, Headmaster of Ilvermorny.” Despite his stature he managed to look the part of Headmaster, Ben thought, with his grey robes and a stick that seemed to be doubling as a staff and a cane. He leaned on it slightly as he made his way down the stairs.

“As much as I hope that you’ve enjoyed your summer, I will not bore you with pleasantries. Every house is of course anxious to cut to the chase and begin the sorting. I have no doubt the first years are anxious as well. As they should be, when they are on the verge of joining what will be their family for the next seven years.” Slowly, Headmaster Fontaine pulled out a scroll, but he didn’t unfurl it just yet.

“Horned Serpent, the mind. Wampus, the body. Thunderbird, the soul. And Pukwudgie, the heart. Our four houses represent the whole witch or wizard, and I believe that each and every house will be gaining some valuable additions today. Without further ado,” he said, opening the scroll up and clearing his throat. “When I call your name, please come and stand on the Gordian Knot in front of me.”

Ben’s stomach gave a lurch when the Headmaster said, “Ameri, Nicholas!” in a loud voice. If this was in alphabetical order, then… 

A tall boy that was no doubt Nicholas stepped onto the intricate symbol on the floor, looking calm and collected. Ben was confused for a fraction of a second until one of the carvings began to move, the short goblin-like creature with large ears, raising the arrow it held into the air. The older students clapped and some cheered as Headmaster Fontaine directed Nicholas to a door tucked away next to the carving of the giant bird.

A girl stepped up next, but Ben didn’t even catch her name. He was too busy trying to calm his own nerves. He only took notice when the wings of the giant bird began to beat through the air. Giant bird… Thunderbird, clearly. And that snake-like statue had to be Horned Serpent. Which one was Wampus and which one was Pukwudgie, though?

Ben didn’t anymore time to think about it. “Brooks, Benjamin!”

He thought of his grandparents and his parents instead as he stepped up to be Sorted. It helped keep him calm, and actually made him a little excited. The better he was at magic, the more he’d be able to help them. 

He raked his gaze over the statues as he stood, which resulted in him almost going cross eyed when all of the carvings reacted at once. The goblin-like creature raised its arrow just as the giant gem set into the Horned Serpent’s forehead began to glow brightly. The Thunderbird’s wings beat through the air once again, and the giant cat let out a roar that echoed through the hall. Whispers followed as Ben rested his curious and slightly scared eyes on Headmaster Fontaine, who began to speak softly.

“It seems you’re a rare case, son. About once in a decade, all four houses may offer the student a place. It’s your choice.”

Judging by the way everyone was whispering and staring, it definitely seemed to be a rare occurrence. Ben’s nerves came back as he was faced with the decision, looking over the statues and trying to recall the headmaster’s words. 

Horned Serpent was the mind… Ben didn’t think he would fit in there, despite how much he liked reading fiction. And Wampus wasn’t somewhere he could see himself fitting in either, even if Grandma often called him stubborn. That left Thunderbird and… what was it? Pukwudgie?

He prayed for guidance from his dad, his grandparents, maybe even Kitchi-Manitou even though Ben had never believed in the Great Spirit, the Great Mystery, as much as his dad. The only realization he got in return was that Pukwudgie was the weird goblin, as he remembered from his dad’s recollection of his school years. Where did Ben fit, though? The same house as his dad, or in Pukwudgie?

Well, he wasn’t much like his faithful and talkative dad, so the decision was more or less made for him.

“Pukwudgie,” he said, hoping he was pronouncing it correctly. Cheers and applause from the older students filled the large room again and left Ben with the sense that he’d made the right choice.

“Over there, please, Benjamin,” Headmaster Fontaine said, pointing toward the side door. Ben walked towards it with a spring in his step, grateful he’d been able to work out the decision.

On the other side was another large hall, with four long tables. Hundreds of candles floated high above the tables, which were set with golden plates and goblets that glittered in the light. Ben didn’t get the best look as a young man who was dressed quite casually emerged from an opening in the granite to Ben’s left. The girl who had just been Sorted as well was with him, and he sent her to a table before turning to Ben.

“Come on,” the man, who looked quite mousy, said directly. He led Ben into a room lined with soaring stacks of boxes of all shapes and sizes, then turned to the young boy.

“Go ahead, pick one up. We haven’t got all day.” Ben found this quite abrupt, but the man sounded impatient so he decided to just do as told. He picked up a box and then, realizing he had no idea what to do next, stared at the man who sighed.

“Open the box,” he said slowly, as if giving instructions to a child who could barely crawl. Too grateful for instructions to take offense, Ben opened the box and found a thin stick of orange tinted wood, engraved with leaves. A wand, he realized.

“12 inches, beech wood with a unicorn hair core, a wise choice indeed. Give it a swing?” Ben did so, but to his disappointment nothing happened.

“No? Try another, hurry up,” the young man urged.

Three wands later, one of which had flown right out of Ben’s hand and almost hit the man in the eye, Ben still hadn’t found a wand. There were at least two other students loitering at the doorway now, making Ben feel a bit embarrassed. He finally pulled out a pale wand with one end carved into a spiral that fit perfectly in his hand. 

“11 inches, ash, for the strong-willed, with a powerful thunderbird feather core. Similar to those that Shikoba Wolfe used to make.” Ben waved and to his surprise, the box flew out of his hand and slotted itself back onto the shelf from where he’d picked it up. Relieved, he let the man more or less push him out. 

“Wait, hold on.” The man grabbed a small golden pin from an open drawer and fastened it to Ben’s robes, then stepped back. It was a Gordian Knot, same as the one on the floor of the entrance hall.

“Head to your table,” the man said before beckoning the next student in. Ben looked at the tables, not sure which one was “his”, until he saw Nicholas giving him a wave. It dawned on him that the four tables (aside from the front one, at which sat a few professors) must be sorted by house, and he gladly hurried over to Nicholas who was also a Pukwudgie. 

He just hoped that this was a house where he could make his parents, especially his mom, proud.

✿✿✿

“Dupont, Camille!”

Camille stepped forward confidently, holding her head high as she stood on the Gordian Knot. She didn’t want to look stupid when she knew Aime was watching from the balcony above with the rest of her Thunderbird friends. It was hard to keep her composure, though, when she’d been waiting so long for this moment. 

She was only there for a fraction of a second until the Thunderbird began to beat its wings. Her eyes widened though, surprised she had been Sorted so easily. Surely there was more to it? Why didn’t she get to a choose like that boy earlier? Did she not have heart, was she not smart, surely she was a warrior?

Headmaster Fontaine ushered her towards the door with a quick congratulations. The perfectionist in her wasn’t satisfied, but there was nothing more she could do except hope she hadn’t given Aime anything to laugh at.

✿✿✿

“Myers, Cody!”

Oh, no. Cody stood frozen until the girl next to him nudged him forwards. He squeezed his eyes shut when he almost tripped over his feet getting over to the symbol on the floor. Wishing he could disappear when the stumbling motion earned chuckles from the other students, he managed to stay standing on the symbol.

He only cracked his eyes open when nothing seemed to be happening. Was he not magic after all, Cody thought, was this just one big dream? Would he be able to go back to Maya and his mom?

He was about to speak when the Horned Serpent’s gem began to glow. Relieved, he left his spot as the centre of attention quickly, but doubts were still in his mind. Horned Serpent represented the mind, but he wasn’t super smart. Had he been put in the right house?

Still nervous even after getting through the Sorting, Cody sort of wished he could go home.

✿✿✿

“Wilson, Drew!”

Finally. Drew stepped up, one of the last students, onto the Gordian Knot. She was staring directly at the carvings, but when the Wampus roared it still shook her. It brought excitement with it though, especially since the Wampus students seemed to be pretty awesome. Their cheers were the loudest when someone new joined their house, as they had been for the 12 or so students before Drew.

They were just as loud now as she left the entrance hall, which was now lit up mostly by the wands of students and professors. She pushed the door open happily, prepared to finally eat.


End file.
